A companion album to The Prestonpans Tapestry, one of Scotland’s most significant and ambitious community projects.

A compilation of music and songs connected with the Battle Of Prestonpans, featuring artists Karen Matheson (Capercaillie), The Corries, The Whistlebinkies, The Panel Beaters, Jean Redpath, The McCalmans, Ceolbeg (with Davy Steele), Coreen Scott, Sangsters and The Drambuie Kirkliston Pipe Band.

The Prestonpans Tapestry is 104 metres in length, was stitched by 200 women and 2 men, involved 25,000 hours of work, has 10 million stitches, used up 3,000 metres of thread and took over 18 months to create - both The Baron Of Prestongrange, who gave birth to the idea, and Andrew Crummy, the tapestry designer, believe it to be the longest tapestry in the world. The Tapestry was launched in Prestonpans in July 2010 and subsequently went on exhibition in Eriskay, followed by other locations around Scotland and abroad. The music on this album was played at all these exhibitions.

Much of the music and song on this compilation is depicted in the panels of the Tapestry. The album opens with a very atmospheric arrangement of a fraction of the pibroch The King Has Landed In Moidart, followed by songs welcoming Bonnie Prince Charlie to Scotland, such as the Gaelic song An Fhideag Airgid (The Silver Whistle), Came Ye Ower Frae France, Charlie’s Landing, McLean’s Welcome and the well-known tune Eight Men Of Moidart. These all herald Charlie’s arrival, his landing in Scotland and the raising of his standard on 19th August 1745.

We then follow with the stirring News From Moidart and songs urging support for the Cause, calling the Clans to arms. Examples are Bonnie Prince Charlie, Rise! Rise! Lowland And Highland Men and Wha Widnae Fecht For Charlie. The White Cockade is the badge worn on the bonnet to symbolise the white rose identified with the Stuart Cause. Agus Ho Mhorag is a second Gaelic song, seemingly expressing love for, and a welcome to, ‘a golden-haired girl’, but is actually worded to mask Jacobite sympathies.

The Battle Of Prestonpans is a shortened version of the vivid and at times humorous account of the battle, while Johnnie Cope mocks the rout of General Sir John Cope’s army and his flight from the battlefield. These two songs are separated by a recent poem, The Lady Frances Gardiner’s Lament, set to the music of the Robert Burns’ song Lord Gregory and recounts the death of Colonel Gardiner of Bankton House, Prestonpans. These are amongst the finest songs and music, old and new, relevant to the events of 1745.

While the tapestry was being completed, Ian Green of Greentrax dropped in to view it and found several of the stitchers singing as they worked, a well-documented Scottish tradition. It occurred to him it would be most appropriate to record the women for a track on the album - the ladies named themselves The Panel Beaters and were recorded singing a spirited version of Sound The Pibroch.

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